It has only been two months since Pike County brought in an Emergency Management Agency (EMA) director, but the ball is already rolling in getting the county up-to-date on its emergency operations.

Mike Singleton, who took on the voluntary position Jan. 1, held a kickoff meeting Monday to begin the development of a pre-disaster mitigation plan for the county.

Included in the meetings are representatives from the county, local municipalities and nongovernmental agencies, such as the American Red Cross and The Salvation Army.

By state law, the county is required to update its local emergency operations plan, Singleton said Thursday. State and federal guidelines also require the establishment of a pre-disaster mitigation plan.

Once the pre-disaster mitigation plan is completed and submitted to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), a number of avenues will open up for the county.

“When you set your plan, you can then write grant requests and qualify for funding to meet the plan’s goals and objectives,” Singleton said. “Without a plan, there is no funding.”

Although it generally takes a few months to put a plan together, Singleton said the real determining factor is how many hazards are identified and “how lofty our goals and objectives are.”

“Our first objective is to meet the state’s general plan requirements,” he said. “Then we will focus on more specific plans.”

Singleton has been employed with Fayette County Fire and Emergency Services for 16 years. The Williamson resident holds an associate’s degree in emergency management from Central Georgia Technical College and is approximately three classes away from being a certified emergency manager.